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Fantasy Football Start Sit Week 8: The Bengals Stay Hot

This is where good fantasy managers separate from lucky ones. The right lineup decisions, powered by Draft Sharks rankings, can make all the difference in Week 8.

Knowing which players to target and fade becomes especially critical in a week with six teams unavailable. 

Week 8 byes: 

• Arizona Cardinals
• Detroit Lions
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Rams
• Seattle Seahawks

Your Draft Sharks Team Intel page will help you set your ideal lineup, applying our award-winning weekly projections to your custom scoring.

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco should stay hot against a short-handed Jets' defense

Start

Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals

The trade out of Cleveland seems to have revived Flacco. In two starts for Cincinnati, he has thrown 5 TDs with no interceptions. Last week’s win over Pittsburgh featured 342 yards, three scores, and a QB6 fantasy finish.

Flacco has brought life to the Bengals’ offense by feeding his playmakers. He targeted Ja’Marr Chase 23 times against the Steelers, resulting in 16 catches for 161 yards and a TD.

This week’s matchup against the Jets looks promising. New York allows the 13th-most fantasy points to QBs and could be without top corner Sauce Gardner (concussion). The Bengals carry an implied total of 25 points, ninth-highest this week.

Expect Flacco to keep attacking through the air with Chase and Tee Higgins. He’s a high-end QB2 with top-10 upside.

Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels (hamstring) has been ruled out for Week 8, giving Mariota his third start of the season. It’s a difficult matchup against a Kansas City defense that allows the fifth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks, but Mariota will have more help this time.

HC Dan Quinn expects WRs Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin to practice fully this week. The Commanders haven’t had both on the field together since Week 3, when Mariota started and finished as the QB4 overall, leading Washington to a 41-24 win over the Raiders.

He also threw 2 TDs and delivered a QB18 performance in Week 4 against a strong Atlanta secondary. Mariota has topped 20 rushing yards in three games this season, giving him a solid floor even in a challenging spot.

View him as a decent bye-week replacement or streaming option with top-12 potential.

Sit

Aaron Rodgers, Steelers

Aaron Rodgers turned back the clock last week, torching Cincinnati for 249 yards and four touchdowns. But the Bengals have allowed a league-high 16 TD passes, and Sunday night’s matchup will be tougher.

Rodgers faces his former team, a Green Bay defense ranked third in total yards allowed and ninth in points per game (20.8). Pro Football Focus grades the Packers’ pass rush, led by Micah Parsons, as the fifth-best in the league. Meanwhile, PFF ranks the Steelers’ offensive line just 24th.

Rodgers no longer has the mobility to evade steady pressure. When pressured this season, he owns a 72.5 QB Rating with three TDs and two INTs.

Pittsburgh carries a modest 20.5-point implied total. Rodgers’ motivation will be high, but Green Bay has held opponents to 215 passing yards per game at Lambeau Field.

View Rodgers as a mid-range QB2 and a risky start in single-QB formats.

Running Backs

J.K. Dobbins gets a premier matchup

Start

J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos

Sean Payton usually favors a committee backfield, but Dobbins continues to get workhorse-type usage. He has handled 63% of Denver’s RB carries, ranks 10th in attempts (105) and seventh in rushing yards (523), and has delivered 4 TDs.

Dobbins is averaging 5.0 yards per carry and draws a favorable matchup in Week 8 against a Dallas defense that allows 4.6 yards per rush and the most adjusted fantasy pointsto RBs.

This game is tied for the highest total of the week (50.5), and Denver is favored. The Cowboys are giving up 29.4 points per game, third-most in the league. Those are ideal conditions for a run-leaning attack that ranks sixth in rushing (131.9 yards per game).

As Denver’s lead back and goal-line option, Dobbins is a strong bet for another double-digit fantasy day with top-10 upside.

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs

Early in the year, Kansas City rotated Pacheco and Kareem Hunt almost evenly. Through Week 4, Pacheco averaged nine carries and 2.3 targets; Hunt averaged eight and 1.5.

That has shifted. Over the past two games, Pacheco has taken control:

• Pacheco: 11.3 carries (48%), 2.7 targets
• Hunt: 5.7 carries (24%), 0.7 targets

Pacheco logged a season-high 15 carries and his first rushing TD last week. He now gets a Washington defense ranked 16th against RBs (21.8 PPR points allowed per game).

The Chiefs have averaged 31.5 points since Week 4, while Washington has allowed 28.3 over that span. Pacheco should see 15+ touches again in a high-scoring matchup, making him a solid RB2 with upside.

Sit

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

Croskey-Merritt has logged 13+ carries in three straight games, but Week 8 brings a tougher setup. Washington expects both Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin to return, which should shift the volume toward the passing game.

The Commanders are also 10.5-point underdogs,  a script that limits Croskey-Merritt’s rushing chances. He has caught only seven passes all season and now faces a Chiefs defense that ranks seventh-best in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs.

No RB has scored against Kansas City since Week 4, and only one has topped 80 rushing yards all year. Croskey-Merritt falls outside RB2 range this week with a low floor due to limited receiving work.

Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans

Pollard’s role has been shrinking fast. He played 89% of snaps in Weeks 1-4. But since Tyjae Spears returned, that number has dropped to 59%. His carries and yardage have declined in three straight games.

Pollard’s 6 catches in Week 7 helped his fantasy line, but that passing-game work likely won’t continue with Spears playing 70% of long-distance and 56% of 2-minute snaps.

Now Pollard faces a Colts defense that ranks third-best in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs. Tennessee is projected for a slate-low 16 points and is a 14.5-point underdog.

Pollard is no more than a risky RB3/flex play this week.

Wide Receivers

Stick with the hot hand in Tee Higgins

Start

Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

The 1-5 Ravens are reeling, but there’s reason for optimism. Lamar Jackson appears ready to return after a two-game absence, and Baltimore’s remaining schedule (.465 opponent winning percentage) ranks 10th-easiest in the league.

Flowers’ usage has remained strong through the slump. He ranks ninth in route rate (94%) and seventh in target share (30%). Despite the early bye, he sits 24th among WRs with 46 targets. Flowers has caught five or more passes and reached double-digit fantasy points in five of six games.

This week, Flowers draws a Bears defense that allows the ninth-most fantasy points to WRs. Baltimore is projected to score 28.5 points, third-most this week. That puts Flowers squarely in the WR1 mix for Week 8.

Tee Higgins, Bengals

Joe Flacco’s arrival has reignited Cincinnati’s passing game. In two starts with Flacco, Higgins has caught 11 of 18 targets for 158 yards and a score. The past two weeks have produced his top two reception and yardage totals for the season.

Higgins’ target share has climbed from 19% to 20% since the QB switch, while his yards per catch have jumped from 12.2 to 14.4. Flacco’s aggressiveness has unlocked Higgins’ downfield upside, highlighted by his best game of 2025 last week.

Now he faces a Jets defense likely missing top corner Sauce Gardner (concussion). Higgins has posted double-digit PPR outings in three consecutive weeks and should stay hot at home in Week 8.

Sit

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers

Jennings’ usage ticked up last week, but he hasn’t looked fully healthy. He drew a 30% target share and an impressive 47% first-read rate against Atlanta, yet he turned that into just 4 catches for 31 yards.

Jennings has scored single-digit PPR points in four of five starts, including three straight with Mac Jones at QB. Jones remains under center for Week 8, and San Francisco faces a Texans defense that ranks second-best in adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs.

If Ricky Pearsall remains out, Jennings will see plenty of CB Derek Stingley, a difficult draw. The 49ers’ 20-point projection signals limited scoring potential.

Jennings has finished outside the top 50 WRs in four of five games and shouldn’t be trusted in fantasy lineups until production climbs.

Kayshon Boutte, Patriots

Kayshon Boutte has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of New England’s recent offensive surge. He leads the Patriots’ WRs in route rate (74%) and ranks second in target share (13%). Over the past two games, Boutte has scored three touchdowns and climbed into the top 30 in PPR scoring.

Still, the production has been volatile. From Weeks 2-5, Boutte failed to top 43 receiving yards or reach double-digit fantasy points.

That inconsistency could resurface in Week 8. Cleveland ranks third against the pass, allowing just 173.7 yards per game. No. 1 WRs have had modest success, but with Stefon Diggs commanding that role, Boutte faces a tougher draw. The Browns haven’t allowed a No. 2 WR to top 45 yards since Week 3, making Boutte a risky start.

Tight Ends

Dalton Schultz could lead the Texans in targets

Start

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Schultz has quietly delivered steady production over the past four weeks. He has caught at least three passes in every game and five or more in each of his last four. Week 7 was his best yet, producing 9 receptions for 98 yards against Seattle.

Over the past two games, Schultz has hauled in 14 of 16 targets for 158 yards. He posted three straight TE2 finishes from Weeks 3-5 before breaking into TE1 territory last week.

Now eighth among tight ends with 37 targets, Schultz continues to see consistent volume even in Houston’s sluggish passing attack. The matchup helps, too: San Francisco has allowed five TEs to score double-digit PPR points over its last five games.

WR Christian Kirk (hamstring) won’t play this week, and Nico Collins is in the concussion protocol. This should only funnel more targets Schultz’s way. 

Schultz ranks second on the Texans with a 19% target share and projects as a solid bet for another top-10 finish in Week 8.

Sit

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Henry’s production has stalled. New England has won four straight, but Henry hasn’t topped 10 PPR points since Week 4.

Through the first four games, Henry led the Patriots with an 84% snap rate and 19% target share, averaging six targets and 13.4 PPR points. Since Week 5, those marks have dipped to 80% and 15%, and he hasn’t finished inside the top 25 TEs in that stretch.

Week 8 doesn’t offer much relief. Cleveland allows the third-fewest passing yards in the league, and no TE has topped 40 yards against them this season.

Given his recent decline and a brutal matchup, Henry is best left on the bench this week.

Next Up

Week 8 Matchups That Matter: Can We Trust The Broncos Offense?

Next Article  

Jody Smith, Analyst

Jody Smith has been playing fantasy football for over 30 years, the last 15 as an analyst, writer, and editor. Jody's rankings have been among the most consistent, placing him inside the top-10 in multi-year accuracy.